This invention relates to a transfer type multicolor heat-sensitive recording apparatus using a plurality of different donor sheet supply rolls, and more particularly to a multicolor heat-sensitive recording apparatus in which the sheet supplying route can be changed according to the number of donor sheet supply rolls which are to be used.
In a heat-sensitive recording apparatus using a donor sheet supply roll (hereinafter referred to merely as "a supply sheet"), a recording sheet (or an ordinary sheet) is placed on an ink donor sheet supplied from a supply roll, so that these sheets are selectively heated by the thermal head. Thermally melting or sublimating ink coated on the ink donor sheet is melted or sublimated according to image data, so as to be transferred onto the recording sheet. Thus, the image data are recorded on the recording sheet.
A multicolor heat-sensitive recording apparatus for multicolor recording has a plurality of supply rolls, the number of which is equal to the number of colors to be used. A recording sheet is placed on the ink donor sheets supplied from the supply rolls one after another. Whenever the recording sheet is placed on any one of the ink donor sheets, a thermal transfer recording process is effected, so that the image data may be recorded in many colors.
In general, a multicolor heat-sensitive recording apparatus has the capability of selecting the number of recording colors, according to a given original. A multicolor heat-sensitive recording apparatus, which can use two colors, for instance red and black, for recording, can record an image in black only or in red and black. In order to select the number of recording colors, a conventional multicolor heat-sensitive recording apparatus employs one of the following recording systems:
(1) A first recording system in which, in the recording operation, ink donor sheets are supplied from all supply rolls, and a recording sheet is placed on the ink donor sheets in a predetermined order, while only those thermal heads corresponding to recording colors to be used are operated.
(2) A second recording system in which, in a recording operation, ink donor sheets are supplied only from those supply rolls corresponding to selected recording colors, a recording sheet conveying route being changed according to the number of selected colors so that the recording sheet is placed on these ink donor sheets only, and data are recorded by thermal transfer.
However, the first recording system suffers from the problem that, in the case where monochromatic recording is desired for recording data in black, for instance, the ink donor sheet for red recording is uneconomically wasted. On the other hand, the second recording system is disadvantageous in that, since it requires a switching mechanism for changing the recording sheet conveying route, the recording apparatus is unavoidably intricate in construction and high in manufacturing cost.